


The Age of the Pirates

by thewiredgalaxy



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Blood, Drinking, F/F, F/M, Fights, Intersex, M/M, Mercenaries, Multi, Pirates, Polyamory, Trans, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-03-17
Packaged: 2018-05-22 12:50:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6079962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewiredgalaxy/pseuds/thewiredgalaxy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small pirate crew is quickly scrambled together after the Kirkwall guards hurt and try to kill them for doing wrong to the city. Now under Captain Isabela, the crew must strive to survive and not get caught by the Kirkwall guards hunting them down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay no relationships are established at this point (except for Bethany and Sebastian) so don't expect any romance from them just yet.

"Fuck! That hurts!" Isabela shouted, snapping at Anders as he sewed up her arm, using one hand to apply a healing spell near the wound to help him close it. 

"Well, it doesn't help that you cut your arm open in that fight... Aveline's sword cut nearly through to the bone..." Anders muttered with a concentrated frown, tying off the stitches. He took a towel and wiped away the rest of the blood, cleaning around the wound carefully. "It is going to scar, you know that? Right?"

"Nice. Be good for some stories. I'll get Varric to write them down," she said as she looked at the large cut, counting the stitches. "Did you really need to sew me up that much?"

"Do you want to lose your arm?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "Since I've been on board, no one has lost any limbs. I'm not breaking that pattern."

"You've been on this ship for a only a week," Isabela muttered with a shake of her head. She stood up and straightened out her clothes, then raising her uninjured arm to fix her hair. "I'm going to see how the crew is doing and check if they're ready to hoist sail."

She marched out of the medical office and grabbed her leather captain's coat, carefully slipping it on. She frowned at the new hole cut in it, sighing. Now she either had to fix it or buy a new one. Or steal one. Stealing sounded good. No hard work. No money lost. 

Isabela made her way up to the deck, glancing around to make sure the ship was still safe. Moored off shore in a hidden cave off the coast of Kirkwall. She could still see one of the golden slave statues out in the water. And she hoped the Kirkwall guards weren't able to see them. 

"Isabela, how's the arm?" came the cheerful, gruff voice of Varric as he grinned up at her with a chuckle. "That was quite a fight with that Guard-Captain Aveline."

"I think Anders gave me at least three dozen stitches," she laughed, adjusting her hat to tip it up more. 

"Blondie is just making sure you don't need a hook for a hand," Varric smirked as he patted her thigh. "So Captain Rivaini, what's the plan to leave Kirkwall?"

"First, check in that the new crew is ready to go and to see what sort of roll I can give them," Isabela said as she headed towards the crew's quarters, Varric at her heels. "I can't have twenty cooks and one person to read a map. I will kick Garrett's ass if he fucked up like that."

"Rivaini, we only got six new members. And that includes Blondie," Varric reminded her. "At least when we saw them fighting the guards they could all handle a weapon. That is something we need right now."

"Don't remind me," Isabela groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. She headed down a somewhat narrow hallway, the floorboards creaking below her boots. She could hear some sort of ruckus coming from one of the rooms. The only one with to be seen light flickering from under the door. With two quick knocks of her knuckles on the wood, she opened the door and glanced around.

"Get away from me, mage!" Fenris shouted as he smacked Anders' hand away, trying to back himself into the corner further. "I don't want you touching me!"

"Do you want to die?" Anders' asked harshly, his voice sharp like a knife. "Garrett, talk some sense into him!"

"No, talk some sense into him! I'm fine," Fenris retorted, his eyebrows knit together as his frown deepened. 

Hawke sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. "How about a compromise? I heal Fenris with no magic and Anders, you can check on Bethany and Carver."

"But-" Anders tried to say, only to be cut off by a stern glare from the large bear of a man.

"No buts. Fenris is uncomfortable and, yes, he does need to be healed but I can do it without magic," Hawke said lowly, watching Anders slink over to his siblings to check them over. 

"Looks like you have things under control here, Garrett," Isabela hummed as she fully made her way into the room, leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest and a foot propped up against the wall. "I'm glad to see everyone settling nicely. For the most part."

"Who are you?" chirped a small Dalish elf in the corner, Merrill, her hazel eyes large while she glanced over Isabela. 

"Isabela, captain of this ship," she said proudly before she gestured to Varric with a jabbing thumb. "Or Rivaini, as Varric calls me. Now, if you're to join my crew, I need to know what you're capable of doing so that I can actually run my ship."

"Oh, well I'm quite good at cooking and Garrett was whining he misses eating my mouton," Bethany spoke up as she held a hand out to Anders so he could look over the scraps on her arm from when she tripped on their way to the dock.

"I was not. You're lying, Bethany," Hawke pouted over at her as he carefully wrapped a large cut on Fenris' leg, one that thankfully wasn't too deep so he didn't need stitches.

Bethany giggled a bit as Carver huffed and rolled his eyes, arms folded over his chest. "I was in training to become a Templar and I'm good with a sword so you can put me wherever you like."

Isabela gave a nod and looked at Fenris, who was now quiet and looked a bit more relaxed as Garrett healed him. He looked at her with his eyebrows set down, not happy but not exactly upset either. "I'm about the same as Carver," he said lowly.

"Good good," Isabela hummed, her gaze going over to Sebastian as he folded his hands over top of each other and looked at Isabela. "What about you? You're wearing Chantry robes. You're not here to convert us to believe in the Maker and turn ourselves in to Aveline and her guards, are you?"

"No no," Sebastian replied quickly as he shook his head. "I am part of the Chantry but I couldn't think of Bethany going off and being a pirate and not being able to see her."

"Ah. So you're the doting boyfriend," Isabela smirked at him with a shake of her head. "Besides being in love with the youngest Hawke, what else can you do?"

"Well, captain, I'm pretty good with shooting an arrow with my bow," he said with a bit of pride in his voice, his sky blue eyes sparkling. "I have killed a darkspawn or two before."

"You did do well fighting on the way here, Choir Boy," Varric chuckled. 

Sebastian's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion at the nickname as he looked the dwarf over. "'Choir Boy?'"

Isabela chuckled, her lips turned upward in amusement. "Trust me, by the end of the day, basically all of you will have a nickname from Varric."

"Oh. Do you want to know what I can do then?" Merrill asked, noticing she was the only one left to tell her skills.

"Of course, cutie," Isabela answered her with a cheerful grin.

Merrill's cheeks tinted pink slightly and her eyes flicked off of Isabela for a moment to focus on the wall. "Oh.... Well.... I can some magic and I can also climb really well, if that counts."

Isabela nodded with a smile. "Alright. Let me quickly work some things out and I want all of you to report on deck in five minutes. Got it?" 

"Aye aye captain," Hawke smirked over at her as he stood up from his knees after he finished dealing with Fenris. "I'll get everyone ready."

Isabela gave another nod and left the room, Varric following after her once again. "Well... They surely are an interesting bunch," she mused, glancing down at the dwarf. "It's amazing how much Garrett's brother looks like a clone of him. Kid just needs to grow a beard."

Varric laughed a bit, glancing up at her once they got topside. "Why else do you think I call him Junior or Little Hawke?" he questioned her. "So what roles are you thinking for them?"

"Cook for Bethany at least. We need a cook. Anders has already claimed the role as medic. Sebastian, we'll see how well he can shoot before I put him in the crows nest as a sniper," Isabela told him as Varric quickly jotted some stuff down on a piece of parchment. "Carver, I'll put him in charge of ammunitions. If he was training to be a Templar, he should know weapons. As for Merrill, if she can climb as well as she said she can, she can be a rigger. Fenris though. I could just perhaps have him as a fighter but I do need a navigator."

"You could try Fenris out as navigator and see how it goes," Varric suggested with a slight shrug.

"Sounds good," Isabela muttered as her crew began to make their way upstairs. She waited for them to get in a somewhat order and watched Garrett as he approached her.

"So, what's the plan?" he asked, his arms folded behind his head.

"Varric," Isabela said simply as she glanced at the dwarf, a basic command to tell him to read what was written. 

"Bethany, cook. Anders, medic. Sebastian, contending for sniper. Carver, in charge of ammunitions. Merrill, rigger - if she can climb fast. And Fenris, possible navigator," Varric read out, glancing up at the crew every so often. 

"Navigator?" Fenris asked, eyebrows raised as he looked at Isabela and leaned back against the railing of the ship. "Why navigator?"

"We need a navigator," Isabela shrugged as she met the gaze of Fenris' emerald eyes. "You can read, right?"

"I can understand maps, yes," he muttered, his arms folding across his chest. "I could be a navigator."

"Can you read though?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"For the most part. I've been learning," Fenris frowned at her. "I can do it, alright?"

"Leave Broody alone, Rivaini..." Varric muttered lowly, glancing over at her. "Hawke or I can help him figure things out, worse comes to worse."

"Alright well, you know your roles now and I want to get our asses out of Kirkwall so let's at least set sail for Ferelden," Isabela commanded, glancing over her new crew. "Merrill, deal with the sails. And you help her, Sebastian. Varric and Fenris, you two plan out the route we can take. Hawkes and Anders, keep an eye out for the Kirkwall guards."

"Right, captain!" the crew replied with a quick salute as they began to go to their newly assigned posts, getting the ship ready to sail.


	2. Chapter 2

It was loud, crowded, and lacking privacy. But the tavern outside Denerim was just what Isabela needed to find. It was a pirates' tavern after all. Not much chance an eves dropper will be part of the Kirkwall guard. 

She picked up a platter of tankards of ale and brought them over to her crew sitting at the back of the tavern. It had taken about a few days to get across the sea to Ferelden and they were more than tired. She could see Anders had his head in his arms on the table. Bethany had her head on Sebastian's shoulder, eyes shut. 

"Oh thank the Maker..." Garrett muttered once the tray was placed down, grabbing a cup for himself. He quickly downed half of it.

"There's one thing you can count on at a pirates' tavern," Varric hummed as he relaxed back in his chair, with a tankard nestled against his hairy chest. "And that's strong ale."

"Why's that?" Merrill asked, her eyes as wide as ever.

"Why else? The bartender would be killed in the most creative ways you could imagine for serving poor ale," Isabela laughed, sipping some of her ale with a grin. Her face then went serious. But she still held a grin on her face. "So. Now that you're part of my crew, we need to lay out ground rules that I haven't been able to get to just yet."

"Like what?" Fenris questioned her with that ever present frown and a cocked eyebrow. 

Isabela shifted in her chair as her face fell serious. She put her tankard on the table before folding her arms across her chest. "Well, rule number one, no mutinies. Thankfully hasn't happened to me before and I'd like to keep that record. Rule number two, no abandoning anyone in trouble. I've lost too many that way. Rule three, if you gamble on the ship, no using any of our loot. Rule four, don't break curfew; if I tell you to be on the ship or in your quarters by a certain time, I expect to see you there at that time. Rule number five, the amount of loot you get is based on your rank. Currently, Varric, Hawke, and myself hold the highest ranks so we get the most loot. Later on, once you get your own ranks, I'll let you get more shit. The sixth rule is if you bring home a date to fuck, don't. I don't want stowaways on the ship. If any of you want to fuck, go ahead, because you're my crew, but no outside people. There are more rules but I will tell you as we go."

"Oh my. That's already quite a bit of things," Merrill commented as she watched Isabela.

The pirate captain simply shrugged. "Rules are rules, they are there for our protection. And as much as I do love to break the rules, the pirates' code and it's rules are the only ones I don't break. They make it safe for us."

"Good enough for me," Fenris told her as he put his chin in the palm of his hand, his elbow on the table.

"Do we have any real plans for what we're doing after filling ourselves with ale?" Anders asked as his head finally left the pillow that was his arms. 

"Not get caught by Kirkwall guards?" Garrett shrugged with a chuckle, his answer earning him a slight laugh from the rest.

"I mean, we also have four apostates here. I'm an escaped Circle Mage. Garrett's told me Bethany is- err was a Circle Mage and now she's an escaped one too. Templars do and will have out names" Anders said lowly, leaning in as close to Isabela as he could get. "And Garrett has never been to a Circle, they're going to get him. Same with Merrill. All of us are in danger of the Templars and Chantry."

"You don't think you're the only on in trouble with the Chantry, Anders? I'm a Brother," Sebastian frowned at him as Bethany sat up. 

"It is a problem but as long as we don't go setting off Templars' warning bells, we'll be fine," Garrett said as he pushed his black hair out of his face. "I've managed not to for the last couple of years."

"It's going to be fine, Anders," Bethany murmured as she leaned over to pat her hand, a small smile on her lips. 

Carver scoffed and rubbed his face. "I don't really see how it will be. I mean, mother died two weeks ago and we've been on the run now for a week. If Garrett hadn't come, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Excuse me?" Garrett frowned as he put his hands down on the table. Anger was written across his face. "I came because I wanted to see mother. I didn't do anything. Aveline's guards were sniffing around and they thought we would cause trouble."

"You stole from half the Hightown market!" Carver near shouted, glaring at Garrett. 

"That wasn't me. It was Isabela and Varric," Garrett retorted as he gestured to the his captain and second mate. "I came solely to see you two."

Carver looked offended at Hawke's replied. His hands balled into tight fists. "I don't care! You brought them to Kirkwall so-!"

"Stop fighting this instant," Isabela said lowly as she smacked her tankard on the table. The group went silent and looked at their captain. Most seemed in shock but Garrett's face fell with embarrassment. "Listen here. I will not have fighting in my crew. I get it, Carver, you're upset but you are not taking it out on Garrett. Garrett, you did loot some so don't go putting the blame on just me and Varric. It doesn't matter, it's in the past. So stop your fighting and drink up, got it?"

"Yes, captain," they said at the same time, responses rushed. 

"Good. Now. Here's the plan," Isabela said, a smirk and adventurous disposition coming back to her face. "We're going to stay here for the night. I got a couple rooms already rented out to us, but some of you will have to room together. Then in the morning, we're going to sail down to a town just outside Redcliffe."

"We won't be looting on the way or but I have a contact there that will give us a job," Varric added lowly in before he glanced at Fenris. "Only Broody and I have the exact location of the meeting."

"A job? I thought pirates just looted. Oh! Are we going to get a map? Like one of those treasure ones and then go look for buried treasure? Oh that sounds like quite an adventure!" Merrill smiled, clasping her hands together in excitement.

"Not quite like that," Varric told her with a chuckle and shake of his head. "You'll find out in the morning. Now, Rivaini, are you buying us more drinks or what?"


	3. Chapter 3

Garrett sat down on the bed with a huff. He glanced over at his three roommates for the night. Carver, Bethany, and Sebastian. There were two queen-sized beds in the room, meaning they had to pair up to sleep. 

He watched as Bethany sat down on the opposite bed, smiling at him. "So, are you claiming that bed?"

"Yeah. Guess so," he replied with a tired smile in return, stretching. "Unless you and Sebby want the bed with the view of drunks stumbling out of the tavern."

She giggled a bit and shook her head, tying her hair back. "I think we're quite fine. Aren't we, love?"

"Yes. I am quite fond of not watching intoxicated pirates go about," the Chantry member said as he sat down next to Bethany, wearing nothing but his small clothes and a loose undershirt. "I'm quite content here."

"Why do I have to sleep with Garrett?" Carver interjected with a deep frown on his lips. He stood in the middle of the room with his arms folded across his chest. 

"Because Sebastian is my boyfriend and we'd both rather sleep next to each other and not the bear," Bethany said with a slight laugh, gesturing to their older brother. 

"I don't want to sleep next to him either," Carver said lowly, glancing at Garrett with a glare.

"You two are so mean. It's killing me," Garrett teased as he held his hand over his heart, a fake look of hurt on his face. "I can't believe you'd say that to my face."

Carver sighed, shaking his head. "Why can't you grow up?" he questioned him lowly. "I'd rather sleep on the floor than sleep with you."

"Then sleep on the floor, I don't care. Bethany, give him some of your blankets," the eldest Hawke said as he laid on his back. 

"Why mine?" Bethany asked, appalled with eyebrows raised.

"Because you have Sebby to cuddle for warmth and my toesies get cold easily," Garrett argued as he pouted.

"Unbelievable..." the twins muttered with shakes of their heads.

 

~^*+*^~

"I told Isabela not to room me with anyone," Fenris scowled as he watched Anders come into his room. 

"We had to group up, you heard her," Anders said plainly. "At least we aren't as crowded as the Hawkes plus one room."

"I don't mean crowding. I mean I don't like sleeping with people I don't trust near me," Fenris frowned as he pulled his legs up to his chest. 

"You've been fine sleeping next to Merrill on the ship," the blond pointed out as he slowly got undressed. He then glanced over at Fenris. "Could you get undressed? I want to look at that cut on your leg."

The elf shifted on the bed to move further from Anders' side of the room. His ears folded back in anger and disgust. "It's different with Merrill. And I already told you, you're not to touch me."

"Ah so that's how it is. So why don't you trust human mages and magic? I mean, it's not like anyone in Kirkwall hurt you with it while we lived there," Anders said as he plopped down on his own bed, hands clasped in his lap.

"I still don't trust Merrill as far as I could throw her - which would be far since she's so small. But you don't know anything about me. You can't just say my experiences in Kirkwall is all I know about mages," Fenris said lowly as he got off his bed. He then removed his ever so spiky gauntlets as he went over to Anders. He gestured to his tattooed hands and chin, a deep frown still at home on his face. "See these tattoos? A magister in Tevinter gave them to me when I was his slave. He took my memories, he took my life, everything. And gave me lyrium embedded into my skin. Can you understand why I don't like mages now?"

Anders frowned back for a moment as he looked over the tattoos. "I could perhaps try and make a spell that could remove the lyrium from-" he began to say before Fenris quickly cut him off.

"What part of I don't want you nor magic around me do you not understand?" Fenris growled as he put his gauntlets back on. He headed to the door, his feet angrily padding on the wooden floors. He then left the room without saying anything more, slamming the door behind him. 

Anders sighed and combed his fingers through his hair before he crawled into his bed. He closed his eyes and could hear fighting coming from the room across the hall. Isabela's room. 

The clamour finally stopped and he head the door to Isabela's room open and close before his own opened. He sat up, expecting to see the elf again but instead saw Varric shut the door. 

"Blondie, don't go upsetting Broody like that," Varric said with a scolding sigh. "He doesn't quite appreciate your want to fix him with magic."

"I'm a healer mage, what else am I supposed to do, Varric?" Anders frowned down at him. 

"Just... Don't go harassing him with your want to use magic," Varrice sighed as he climbed into the opposite bed, already set in his sleepwear for the night. "Good night, Blondie..."

"Night, Varric..." Anders sighed.

~^*+*^~

"Oh! Fenris, will you be sleeping with me tonight?" Merrill asked as she watched the other elf get undressed. 

"I'd rather have a bed to myself," he said plainly, his back to the others as he got undressed. He rubbed his face and folded his clothes, putting them on the floor near the base of his bed. 

"Well, that means the more I can cuddle you, Merrill," Isabela grinned as she came up behind the Dale. She wrapped her arms around her waist and her large breasts pressed against her back. 

Fenris rolled his eyes at the two and laid down in his bed. He massaged his chest a bit with a yawn, trying to block out the others' banter. But it was hard to do once Isabela flopped on his bed with a huff.

"Or you aren't sleeping yet, mister navigator. It's time for talking, not sleeping," she chimed in his ear, a smirk on her plump lips.

"Captain, please, I would like to sleep..." he begged in a soft voice, frowning at her over his shoulder. 

"C'mon, Broody, I need to know my crew and I want to start with my two favourite elves," Isabela said as she rested her chin in her hands. Merrill sat on the bed next to her as Fenris laid down, cocooning himself in the bedsheets. 

"We're the only elves in your crew...and all you need to know about me right now is that I would like to sleep, sir..." Fenris muttered as he pulled the covers tighter around himself, trying to dissuade Isabela from bothering him further. 

"C'mon, cutie. I can't even know what colour underwear you have on," Isabela pouted as she pulled at his sheets. Fenris only frowned and brought try them in closer. 

"Fine... You want to know something about me?" Fenris grumbled. He rubbed an eye with the heel of his hand, huffing slightly.

Isabela grinned at her success. She then sat up, her eyes not leaving the white-haired elf. "Tell me."

He peered over his shoulder at Isabela, a look that seemed like it could kill. "I'm trans, there you go..."

"Trans?" Isabela questioned him with raised eyebrows, momentarily glancing at Merrill.

"Don't look at me like that. I already knew about him, Captain. That was why he was sleeping in the same room as me. We are the only trans people on the ship. Oh. Well. Not so much I... I'm intersex but I'm somewhat trans. Female identifying at least," Merrill babbled with a cheery, lopsided smile on her face. 

Fenris sighed loudly and rubbed his face again. "Can we just go to bed already...? It been a long day..."

"Fine fine," Isabela muttered with a shake of her head. She climbed off the bed, Merrill's hand in hers. "Do the others know about your being trans, Fenris?"

"No and I'd prefer to keep it that way..." he yawned, closing his eyes and curling up in a ball. "Goodnight..."

"Sleep well!" Merrill chirped as she got into bed with Isabela, cuddling up next to her with a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Isabela stood at the wheel of her ship. She leaned partially on it as she watched the coastline of Ferelden go by, her crew working on the deck to keep the ship sailing smoothly. They had left the pirate tavern without a hitch. Now it was off to Redcliffe. 

To her right, Varric and Fenris. Varric held a map in his hands and Fenris stood over him to look at it. She could hear them talking but couldn't make out their actual words. Huffing, she glanced to her left and saw Garrett leaning against the railing of the boat, watching the water go by. She remembered hearing their arguing last night over Carver not being pleased about his new life as a pirate.

"Hawke, get your ass over here," she called, watching him as he slowly picked himself up and come over to her. His hair was pulled back into a bun, she hadn't noticed it had gotten to be that long to do that. 

"What's up?" Hawke replied in a near monotone voice. 

"You doing alright?" she asked him softly as she placed a gentle hand on his arm and a kind smile on her lips.

"I guess. I don't know, I think I screwed up Bethany and Carver's lives," Garrett sighed, his back to where his siblings were below on the lower deck. "Bethany seems okay but Carver is just angry..."

"Didn't you say he's angry all the time?" Isabela asked him with a slight grin as she tried to lighten the situation some.

Garrett laughed a little and shook his head. "He's pretty grumpy, yes. But this is different. He's been forced from his home once before and now I did that to him again.."

"At least you're around to protect him and Bethany now. And you have us too. Don't worry, they'll be fine," Isabela promised as she gently squeezed his arm. 

"Hey, Rivaini, we're getting near the meeting spot. Drop anchor a mile west of Redcliffe and then you, myself, and Hawke can talk to my contact and deal with what they want," Varric called over to her, folding up the map and passing it to Fenris before he went over to the captain and first mate. 

"Sounds good to me," she nodded, grinning down at him. "But who do you suggest be in charge while we're gone? You two are my highest ranking superior officers, below me, on this ship."

"Wonder twins," Varric said plainly with a small shrug. "They seem to have the best heads on them."

"Alright. Let's get to you contact, Varric," Isabela replied, moving from the wheel so Varric could direct the ship to where they had to go.

~^*+*^~

"Where the hell is this guy, Varric? It's been nearly thirty minutes now," Isabela complained as she slumped against the rock face they were waiting under. "I don't trust this.."

"He said he would be here by sundown today," Varric muttered as he perched on top of a bolder, pulling out a cloth to wipe Bianca clean.

"Varric, it's nearly three hours until sundown," Garrett frowned as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't want to have to stand out here for that long."

"If he hasn't shown up in the next hour, I'll leave him a note and we can wait for him on the ship," Varric sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"So what do we do for the next hour then? We have nothing to do and nothing to drink," Isabela pouted at Varric as she folded her arms across her chest. "Not even a drop of brandy or rum.."

"We can just simply talk, Rivaini," Varric told her as he inspected Bianca over for a moment before he deemed her clean.

"Well, about what?" she questioned him as she slumped down to sit on the ground as Hawke joined her on the ground.

"How about the guy that we're supposed to be meeting so Isabela and I can fucking know who we're meeting?" Garrett suggested as he shifted on the stony ground.

"No. I promised my contact that I wouldn't tell who he was," Varric replied near stiffly as he looked down at the other two with a slight frown. "Perhaps about our new crew that we left in charge of our ship?" he then said, trying to change the subject. 

"Like what?" Isabela asked with a cocked eyebrow, leaning forward on one knee with her arm for comfort. 

"Well, what you think about them," the dwarf shrugged. "They've been around for over a week. How do you feel about them?"

From there on, the conversation began. Isabela enjoyed the presence of the Hawke twins. She liked Bethany's cooking and found it entertaining Carver was more broody than Fenris. She also liked that Sebastian was managing to fit in and had barely tried to get her to go to the small "Chantry" he had set up in his room. Anders they all felt kept to himself a lot in his clinic and, when they saw him, seemed to have fur flying off of him. Both Isabela and Garrett had to agree that Fenris was cute, with his brooding and all, but also kept to himself too much, just really only opening up to Varric - since they worked so close together lately. But they all agreed that Merrill was quite adorable to look at but something about her gave Varric and Garrett slight unease around her.

And as they talked more, their discussions turned once again to being bored waiting for Varric's contact until nearly an hour had passed. They had been so engrossed with their conversation that they hadn't even noticed approaching footsteps from up the path until a blond clad in silver armour stood before them. He cleared his throat, making the group jump in shock and quickly ready their weapons until they recognized the newcomer.

"King Alistair?!" Isabela exclaimed as she looked him over, unable to believe her eyes. "Varric, this is seriously your contact?"

"What? How could I tell you the king of Ferelden was meeting us and you'd believe me?" Varric questioned her as he slipped Bianca into her holster and slid off the rock, facing Alistair with a grin spread across his lips. "So, your highness, what can we do for you today?"

"Let's leave the formalities out of this for now, Varric," Alistair muttered as he watched Isabela and Garrett get to their feet, stretching out their limbs. "Where's the rest of your crew?"

"On our ship. I only brought the members that out rank me with me," Varric assured him as he folded his arms across his chest. "So what is the job you want us to do for you?"

"I need for you to go to Orlais," Alistair said simply as he glanced around, making sure no one was around before he spoke quietly once Isabela and Hawke came closer. "I've heard that Empress Celene is building up her naval fleet with larger weapons. I can't send my own men, they'd be recognized instantly, so I would like for you and your crew to go to the docks in Val Royeaux to check out her ships. Then report back to me with your findings."

"Do you honestly feel the Empress will attempt an attack? I thought she was dealing with a civil war with her brother," Isabela questioned him as she pursed her lips. She wasn't feeling the plan fully and the look in her eyes gave it away.

"I don't know if she will but I'm not entirely the most confident of my neighbouring country building up a better naval fleet," Alistair frowned at her as he pulled out a rather large coin purse from his pocket. He passed it to Varric and sighed. "This is a quarter of the pay you'll get, if you do this for me. If the job goes off without a hitch, you can get the other three quarters."

Varric opened the bag and skimmed through it, a small, amused smile coming to his face with he saw the amount of money within. "This is nearly three hundred gold coins."

"Times it by four and that's the whole of our future pay.." Garrett muttered as he looked from the money to Alistair to Isabela. "So, we doing this? Because I'm very much in."

"Yeah. I'd say I'm in," Isabela nodded before she flashed a large grin to Alistair and held out a hand for him to shake. "Alright, your highness, we have a deal."

The king quickly shook her hand with a smile. "Good. Keep in touch and let me know if you can find out anything that would be of importance to me."

"Now, let's get going. The crew is going to have our heads for being so late," Garrett chuckled as they parted ways with Alistair.

~^*+*^~

"You're kidding, right? We get HOW much money?" Bethany near exclaimed at dinner. She nearly dropped the spoon she was using to serve herself some more potatoes as she gawked at her larger brother. 

"Yeah. Near twelve hundred gold coins. And everyone gets a share," Garrett grinned as he leaned back in his chair, his arms draped over the back of it.

"Yes, that is true. But everyone doesn't get any equal amount, I assume," Carver added in with a bitter frown as he near glared over at Garrett, catching him off guard.

"Yeah, Junior, it's true," Varric told him after he took a sip from his mug of ale. "The higher up in command you are, the more shit you get."

"Well, what's Garrett?" Bethany asked with wide eyes that flicked between Garrett and Varric. 

"First-in-command. I'm second and Isabela is Captain," Varric said simply with a shrug.

"What about the rest of us?" Merrill piped in as she shifted in her chair, crossing her legs. "What is our rank? I mean, we need to have one too, don't we?"

"Eh... This is more Rivaini's department, not mine," the dwarf said as he finished off his drink, glancing down the table at the young Dale almost apologetically. "I'll discuss it with her tomorrow on the way to Val Royeaux. By the time we're in Orlais waters, you will have proper ranks given to you, don't worry."


End file.
